ABOUT A GIRL – ALBA PARDO TATCHE

it was last year when I met Alba bustling around at the women in boardsports retreat for the first time. Alba is photographer and journalist, she has just launched her own online snowboard mag and because she is so into everything she does she even received a trophy for her efforts she is making for women in boardsports. in short, she's more than just a pretty face.

it's about a month ago you've been to the women in boardsports retreat in Saas-Fee. please make a short summary of your impressions. 

the wib conference in Saas-Fee is always a special occasion, some of the most inspirational women and the shakers and makers of the industry come to the beautiful Swiss town to share their knowledge and experiences. the conferences, the workshops and all the activities are great. however, my favorite part is all the new people I get to meet there and how some of them become great friends.
this year, one of my favorite speeches was from Ida Holmen, she’s the digital content manager at skullcandy. she brought the real feeling into the event hall, and what it is like to be working for certain brands in the industry. also, the video conference we had with Kabul’s Benafsha Tasmim, the sports and education coordinator at skateistan was really emotive and inspiring. I could go on and on, and name all the ladies that came this year, but then this interview would be infinite. so I suggest that you all visit women in board sports! what a great promo here!

you are playing an important part in wib. in which way are you exactly involved? 
well, it all began in 2009 when I randomly landed in Saas-Fee, a good friend brought me to the first wib retreat. Daniela and Carmela, the organizers, had gathered together some of the most incredible women in the industry, and being their first year organizing it they had some amazing ideas but couldn’t do it all. I had my camera with me and I began taking photos for them. that brought me to film the event and edit the videos and also take care of their website and social media. obviously, it’s not only me doing all this. we are a few girls that teamed up to help the wib founders to evolve and make this great platform even better.

you`ve already gave us an insight to your favourite speeches. what else attracted your attention?

Ida’s speech was one of my favorites, but also Anna Maria Rugarli the csr and sustainability director for vf international was super inspiring.

the great thing about wib is that not only the talks are inspiring, but also all the contributions that the attendees make, the discussions and the open mic times.

I’ve learnt about some great projects in snowboarding like Nichola’s Thost sprungbrett and swiss snowboarding girls, and also some initiatives in water sports like the butterfly effect presented by Tatiana Howard. 

besides your efforts in wib you are photographer and journalist. there must have been beautiful landscapes and interesting people your work brought you to. what do you appreciate the most about your job?
you just said it. what I really appreciate and I feel thankful for is all the wonderful places I’ve been but most importantly all the people I’ve met (and I will meet) on the way. I know it might sound stupid, but I’ve recently realized that this is what makes me happy: going out there and meeting people to make things happen. I don’t really care about the rest. 

what makes a perfect picture for you?

hey, this is a hard question. I don’t think that only one photo can be perfect, otherwise I’m screwed. no, but seriously now, for me a good picture is the one that you can hang in your room, living room or even in your toilet, and never get tired of it. so this means all sort of styles and photos can reach for the perfection, but personally, I never get tired of snowy photos with incredible riders in it, and the only thing they have in common is that none of them are mine.

reading your blog reminds me things that I sometimes forget while being stucked in the oh so busy media world. with posts like smiles make it easier or I'm not just a pretty face you are bringing things in question. is there anything you would like to ditch on this way?
I just read again those entries, and I bet you choose the angriest ones in propose, hahaha, but realizing how angry I can get sometimes it makes me smile. it is true that being a girl into a man’s world ain’t easy, specially when the first impression is always based on how big your backpack is, and many many times I’ve felt underestimated, but at the end feeling passionate about the career I’ve chosen and keep trying is what really matters, and no complaints should be allowed, as after all, we are super lucky. 

additionally to your blog you've launched your own snowboard online mag. what's the idea behind sbes mag?

I’ve always known that I love to tell stories and if they involve snowboarding and great people I love it even more. so I’ve been working as a freelancer for many years and to be honest, I always dreamt about that day that I could launch my own magazine. however, I’m super perfectionist and I didn’t want to do it just for the sake of it. but the idea came back to me last winter, when I realized that there wasn’t a single spanish snowboard magazine in the net that would offer original content and be a window to the international scene but at the same time an opportunity for the local riders and entrepreneurships to show their value. so I guess this is the main idea: offer quality snowboard related content in spanish, and create a platform where everyone can find what they need in this matter while showing off to the world that in Spain we also ride, we also have mountains and that even though we are often forgotten by brands and big event organizers, there is a big fan community, or should I say “market opportunity” so they know what I’m talking about?

if you could change anything in the snowboard industry what would it be?

I always ask this very same question the people I interview. I guess sometimes I wish that more industry people would think in the way where snowboarding brings a certain lifestyle, and not on the other direction. I think this would professionalize snowboarding (in a good way) a little more. 

pizza or burger? goat cheese pizza please!
hat or cap? hat 

halloween or christmas? can I keep the presents and
the costumes but ditch the zombies and the religion?